U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke with Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein late Monday and discussed the ongoing search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, the Defense Department said Tuesday. Pentagon spokesman Carl Woog said in a statement that Hagel conveyed that the United States is committed to working with the Malaysian government to find the plane and that the U.S. Navy has re-tasked reconnaissance aircraft to search the Indian Ocean's southern corridor. "Secretary Hagel noted that this search mission is in many ways unprecedented and thanked Minister Hishammuddin for his government's collaboration with international partners," Woog said. Hagel also told Hishammuddin that he looks forward to seeing him at the upcoming U.S.-Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense forum in Honolulu, Woog said, and noted that the meeting will provide a good opportunity to continue discussions on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, among other things.
